Commission Adopts Sweeping Changes to Deer Regulations

TPWD

Published
12:00 am CDT, Monday, October 5, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted a series of wildlife and hunting related regulations that expand special buck antler restrictions and liberalize antlerless harvest opportunities in dozens of counties. The new rules take effect during the 2009-10 hunting seasons.

Citing strong support for the changes during the public comment period, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department staff said the new rules reflect a shift toward biologically-based communities for managing deer populations.

One of the biggest changes involves further expansion of the department's successful antler restriction regulations into 52 additional counties where biologists have identified a need to provide greater protection of younger buck deer.

According to Clayton Wolf, TPWD big game program director, the antler restrictions have significantly improved age structure while maintaining ample hunting opportunity, based on data to date in the 61 counties where the rule is currently in effect.

Areas of the state having sufficient antlerless deer populations to warrant additional hunting opportunity will be getting more doe days this fall. The department is increasing antlerless deer hunting in the following areas:

o from four days to16 days in Bowie and Rusk counties;

o from four days to 30 days in Cherokee and Houston counties;

In East Texas, the department is establishing a special muzzleloader season in additional counties, lengthening the existing muzzleloader season by five days to be equivalent in length with the special antlerless and spike buck seasons in other counties, and altering the current muzzleloader bag composition to allow the harvest of any buck (not just spike bucks) and antlerless deer without permits if the county has "doe days" during the general season.

The department is also adding one additional weekend and 10 additional weekdays in January to the current youth-only season.

Recent legislative action gave authority to the Commission to allow any person, regardless of physical ability, to use a crossbow during the archery-only season, provided the person has acquired an archery stamp and a valid Texas hunting license, except in Grayson County. Crossbows may be used in Grayson County during the special archery-only open season (Oct. 3-Nov. 6) only by hunters with an upper-limb disability who possess a physician's statement attesting to the permanent loss of the use of fingers, hand or arm in a manner that renders a person incapable of using a longbow, compound bow or recurved bow. Any person, regardless of physical ability, may use a crossbow during the general season in Grayson County (Nov. 7-Jan. 3).